Wolseley Carver succeeded John Wheeler Birch in 1836, after the latter moved his coaching establishment away from Great Sampford. In his History of the Sampfords, Curtis tells us that Carver was “an effective vicar and initiated extensive repairs to the church roof in Great Sampford”.
In 1849, Carver resigned from the living to take up appointment as ‘perpetual curate’ in Finchingfield. This was, in effect, a demotion, and suggests that he was asked to depart by the patron, General Sir William Eustace, so that the latter’s son Robert could take over. Curtis refers to the common practice at the time of appointing a ‘warming pan’, a priest who held a living on the understanding that he would resign if a member if the patron’s family required it.